Things To Do In London: Friday 21 November 2014

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Go behind the scenes of the Ships, Clocks and Stars exhibition at National Maritime Museum.

Listings

ICE SKATING: Slowly but surely, London’s seasonal ice rinks are waking up for the season and quiet weekdays are the best time to visit. See what’s already open, or book ahead for the rest of the run-up to Christmas.

EXHIBITION: Mark Neville: London/Pittsburgh opens today at Alan Cristea Gallery. The artist presents a photographic documentary of the social communities in London and Pittsburgh. His work aims to explore the role of art in contemporary society. Free, until 24 January 2015

ART TALK: New York artist Joe Scanlan talks about his practice at the ICA with London-based producer Manick Govinda. Scanlan's works have been on display both at the Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou in Paris. £5+bf, prebook, 1pm

NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM: Go behind the scenes of the Ships, Clocks & Stars exhibition, currently on display at the National Maritime Museum — which we reviewed some time ago. See the exhibition and get up-close and personal with the Museum’s collection of maps and charts, with curator Gillian Hutchinson. £12/£10, prebook, 3-4pm

CROWDVERSATION: Everyone is welcome to join an open debate about employment and ageing, taking place at Big Bang Lab in Borough. The event includes an introductory talk by the founder of Big Bang Lab, a film screening and an open 'crowdversation'. £7, prebook, 4pm

THEATRE PLATFORM: Director Rufus Norris and actress Meera Syal discuss the new production in which they're involved — Behind the Beautiful Forevers. The talk takes place at the National Theatre. £4/£3, prebook, 6pm

MUSEUM TALK: Award-winning actor Sam West and spy writer Nigel West discuss the similarities and differences between acting and spying — the mutual arts of deception — with director Giles Ramsay. The event is at the V&A museum. £9/£7, prebook, 6.30pm

BLOOD: Today’s opportunities to donate blood are at Brewers Hall, Morrisons in Thamesmead and the usual donor centres. See site for terms and conditions. Scared of donating blood? Watch our video.

Find more London events in our Free & Cheap events listings.Want to see your event in these last-minute listings? Email us at hello@londonist.com at least 48 hours before the event, and we will consider it for inclusion. Note: due to high volumes of email, we can’t always reply.

Get Your Hands On An Annual Travelcard

CommuterClub offer Londoners a simple loan for an Annual Travelcard, repaid over 11 months. It will save you money compared to buying monthly and delay fare increases by locking in this year’s prices for another 12 months. Users also get the benefits of the Gold Card and total flexibility — if your circumstances change, you can cancel any time with no penalty. Find out more at www.commuterclub.co.uk.

Good Cause of the Day

Join Central London Samaritans at Charing Cross Station on 24 November. A team of dedicated volunteers is cycling 247 miles on fixed bikes to raise money for the Samaritans’ helpline which is open to callers 24/7. You can help the good cause by making a donation — just pop over between 7am and 9pm to say hello and support the cause.

From The Archive

Being you a shift worker, freelancer, part-timer or just having a day off work in London? We suggest you try one of these 10 restaurant lunch menus.